Inside a dream-come-true Gatsby-style wedding

It's a long way from the steel-and-asphalt corridors of Queens to the gilded manors of East Egg, the fictional setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." But when Corona couple Kimberly Marrero and John Thomas Shinnick started planning their March 12 wedding, they were determined to roll back the decades and create a party as sumptuous as any of Jay Gatsby's legendary soirees.

The problem is, when you don't have a mansion-size staff, you're just as likely to get the not-so-great-Gatsby, which is where the Shinnicks were heading before they landed in the very modern world of reality television and WE-TV's, "My Fair Wedding," which stars celebrity wedding planner David Tutera.

But like Jay Gatsby's infatuation with Daisy Buchanan, that's getting ahead of things.

Although the Shinnicks had never read the 1925 novel, the era resonated for both of them. John, a 45-year-old operating engineer for JPMorgan Chase, recalls growing up in Brooklyn, the eldest of six children whose father adored his old 78-rpm records. "He would play Al Jolson all the time and all sorts of other music from when he was growing up in the '20s and '30s," John said. "I was awed by the music and the era - it was a real turning point for the country."

For Kimberly, 30, an optician who was also born in Brooklyn, the allure was fashion. "Everything was so beautiful in the '20s. Men were always so proper; women never walked around in jogging pants," she said. "I wanted that glam for my wedding."

The question, of course, was how to create it. With a wedding budget of only $10,000 to $12,000, Kim and John set out last fall to re-create the Jazz Age through modern big box stores, scouring Target and TJ Maxx for everything from bubbles, feathers and spools of ribbon curls to short votive candles, long tapers and towering brass candle sticks. Then it was off to specialty shops for The Dress, the bridesmaids' gowns and a wedding outfit for their Pomeranian, Doobie.

By New Year's, though, it was clear that old flapper magic wasn't there. "The closer we got to the wedding, the more I started to buy last-minute things like masks for the guests," Kim said. "And then I'd say: 'Wait! What does this have to do with Gatsby?' "

Just as Kimberly was on the verge of bridal meltdown, Maryelys Medina, her maid of honor, discovered that WE-TV was searching for brides to appear in its third season of "My Fair Wedding." The idea is simple: Bride-to-be has a spectacular dream. Bride-to-be has an even more spectacular crash. Bride-to-be is saved (it is hoped) by the still-more spectacular imagination of Tutera, who's been planning events since he was 19 - and saving needy brides and grooms for almost as long.

"Needy" was the very definition of Kimberly Marrero. But so was "Tutera-addict." Kim was so hooked on the wedding planner and his show that she not only tuned in to new episodes every Sunday, but she also taped daily reruns so she could watch when she got home from work. Soon, even John was mesmerized.

Despite fears of rejection, Kim threw her veil into the ring, writing Tutera a Queens girl's tale of woe. John e-mailed, too, adding all the details he knew Kim would leave out:

"Kim was watching so much of David's show that she became overwhelmed and confused," John explained. "So I wrote David and said that every night I come home and my fiancee has a different idea. I told him we're trying to put together a wedding and it's getting really stressful. And I told him she can't make up her mind, and I blame you, David. I said if you can do for us what you've done for other couples, you'll answer our prayers."

The gods of reality television listened. Three weeks before their wedding, Tutera showed up, ready to transform their Gatsby-mess into an elegant party for 120.

"Kimberly actually had her overall look in mind - the glamorous, feminine, antique feel," Tutera said in an e-mail. "But it was the details and the actual era that seemed to be all over the map."

His first step: landing not just a catering hall, but Huntington's Oheka Castle, which had served as a partial inspiration to Fitzgerald. Tutera then focused on bringing Gatsby to life with the sorts of details you can't just snap up in a big box store. He rented a 1930s Rolls-Royce Phantom. He coaxed Kim's six bridesmaids out of their standard-issue turquoise gowns and into va-va-voom skirts with white bustiers and rhinestone belts.

And though he loved the gown that Kim had purchased, he penciled it in for just the ceremony; her reception dress was from the David Tutera by Faviana collection, a jazzy piece with beaded corset and feathered skirt that, he says, "suited Kimberly and the era perfectly."

Not surprisingly, Tutera packed away the decorations Kimberly and John had bought and concocted an ultraglamorous speak-easy that focused on 1920s sights (everything from lace to peacock feathers), sounds (the band) and flavors (down to a signature cocktail).

Oh, and all the pearls. "The simple design element of pearls was used on everything from the napkin treatments to the bouquet to the room decor to visually tie all together," Tutera said.

In hindsight, John and Kimberly chuckle at their attempt to create so lavish a fantasy, and not just because of their budget. "Everyone has a dream wedding, and everyone thinks they can do it themselves," John said. "But it takes a special person to put it together, to organize it, to make it come true."

Well, perhaps not entirely. Though Tutera said the tab for a soiree like the Shinnicks' would be at least $250,000 - all weddings on the show are made possible by agreements with vendors - he also insists that a party like theirs "could easily be re-created, and even if the bride's budget was more limited, many of the same elements could be used." She could choose a less-expensive dress, he said; a DJ instead of a band, and less pricey adornments for the bouquet, the cake, the dance floor.

Or maybe you can just call John and Kim. All those boxes of Gatsby goodies they never used? They're stashed in a storage room. "I have tons of bubbles and props," Kim said. "I want to donate them to someone who's needy."